Perfect Pad Thai with Shrimp

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

I had some peeled, raw shrimp and was craving something Thai-inspired and saw this recipe on MyRecipes.com. I tweaked it a bit, but was amazed at the first ingredient -- ketchup! Could it really be part of the recipe?

Not being one to turn down a challenge (and a huge fan of ketchup), I tackled this recipe and it came out great -- it really tasted like the Pad Thai we order when we're out. And, it only took about 30 mins.

Pad Thai with Shrimp

8 ounces wide rice stick noodles (Banh Pho)

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

3/4 cup (1-inch) sliced green onions

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

To Do:

Place noodles in a large bowl. Add hot water to cover; let stand 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.

To Gourmess it up, I used a mix of rice noodles and thin Udon noodles in my version, put in twice as much red pepper flakes, and added a teaspoon each of red curry paste, rice vinegar, garlic powder, and sesame oil to step 2. And, I tossed in a handful of minced cilantro at the end, along with the peanuts.

It was delicious! However, this recipe will be short-lived, as Chris has recently decided he's not a fan of shrimp any longer (but didn't tell me until after I made this), so next time, I'll just use chicken or pork with it, I guess.

Gourmess Archives

My Motto

About Me

I'm a petite but powerful marketing maven who should have gone to culinary school. Or moved to France. When I'm not at my day job in NYC, I spend most of my time in the kitchen coming up with creative cookery ideas. There is usually a mess involved. (Hence the GourMESS title.)

Cookery Experience

For six months in 2010, I taught myself the French Culinary Institute's official textbook, The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine, and prepared (and blogged about) every demonstration in the course.

On Making a Mess of Things

“I would far prefer to have things happen as they naturally do, such as the mousse refusing to leave the mold, the potatoes sticking to the skillet, the apple charlotte slowly collapsing. One of the secrets of cooking is to learn to correct something if you can, and bear with it if you cannot.” ― Julia Child